“It felt the same”

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Jonathan Capehart article here (and another here)

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President Barack Obama bends over so the son of a White House staff member can pat his head during a family visit to the Oval Office May 8, 2009. The youngster wanted to see if the President’s haircut felt like his own. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Los Angeles

Heads up: President Obama in Los Angeles

10:15 (approx): Delivers remarks at a campaign event at Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Los Angeles

CNN live streaming

CBS live streaming (1)

CBS live streaming (2)

(And while you’re waiting: Lawrence O’Donnell)

Portrait

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Prime Minister Monti of Italy aboard Air Force One, June 6, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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10:15: Delivers remarks at a campaign event at Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills (CNN live streaming)

11:55: Delivers remarks at a campaign event at a private Residence, Beverly Hills (Print Pool only)

This and That

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San Francisco International Airport

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All times Eastern:

6:15 Departs San Francisco

7:20: Arrives Los Angeles

10:15: Delivers remarks at a campaign event at Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills (CNN live streaming)

11:55: Delivers remarks at a campaign event at a private Residence, Beverly Hills (Print Pool only)

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People gather in a lobby of a building to catch a glimpse of President Obama where was attending a campaign event in San Francisco

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Heads up: Michelle Obama in Philadelphia

3:20 ET (approx): Michelle Obama meets with Obama campaign volunteers from the Philadelphia area

CNN live streaming

CBS live streaming

‘Democrats will emerge from this loss radicalized, not chastened’

Jamelle Bouie (Washington Post):  …. Where the conventional wisdom goes off the rails is in the attempt to draw broad lessons for November, and attribute motives to Wisconsin voters. At this point, there’s little evidence to suggest an easier battle for Republicans in Wisconsin. According to exit polls, Walker won 17 percent of Obama supporters in the state, and overall, last night’s electorate favored the president over Mitt Romney by a significant margin, 52 percent to 43 percent. It’s a smaller margin than 2008, where he won the state by 14 points, but it’s a solid performance, and a sign that — in reality — Wisconsin is less vulnerable than it looks. Indeed, as of last night, President Obama’s Wisconsin effort is in great shape, and conservatives should temper their view of their chances in the state

Of course, this leads to a question; who are these pro-Walker, pro-Obama voters? Simple. For 60 percent of last night’s voters, a recall is only acceptable in cases of offical misconduct. For 10 percent, a recall is never acceptable. It’s not that these voters are pro-Walker, pro-Obama as much as they are pro-Obama, anti-recall. To them, this is a question of stability….

….. As for rank-and-file Democratic voters, particularly liberals, I thought David Frum had the most insightful take:

Democrats interpret Wisconsin not as a battle over wages and benefits, but as an illegitimate attempt to rewrite the rules of politics to their permanent disadvantage. They are confirmed in a view that the Republican party is a force for concentrated wealth, contemptuous of democracy and fair play. Democrats will emerge from this loss radicalized, not chastened.

This is exactly right. More than anything, the GOP is working to destroy the infrastructure of the Democratic Party, and so far — with the assault on public sector unions — it’s been a tremendous success.

Full post here

President Obama departs Joint Base Andrews for San Francisco, June 6

Rise and Shine

President Obama talks with staff along the Colonnade of the White House, June 5. Pictured, clockwise from the President, are: Jennifer Palmieri, Deputy Director of Communications; Chief of Staff Jack Lew; Dan Pfeiffer, Director of Communications; Senior Advisor David Plouffe; and Press Secretary Jay Carney (Pete Souza)

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9:20: The President departs the White House

11:35: VP Biden speaks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (CNN live streaming)

12:0: First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks at campaign event in New York City

2:45: PBO arrives in San Francisco

3:15: Michelle Obama meets with Obama campaign volunteers from the Philadelphia area (CNN live streaming)

3:20 PBO Attends a campaign event at Landmark Tower, San Francisco (Closed Press)

5:15 Delivers remarks at a campaign event at Julia Morgan Ballroom, San Francisco (Print Pool only)

6:15 Departs San Francisco

7:20: Arrives Los Angeles

10:15: Delivers remarks at a campaign event at Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills (CNN live streaming)

11:55: Delivers remarks at a campaign event at a private Residence, Beverly Hills (Print Pool only)

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Steve Benen: As the dust settles in Wisconsin, and the right basks in Gov. Scott Walker’s recall victory, the obvious question is coming to terms with how the incumbent managed to overcome the extensive grassroots opposition to his agenda and candidacy. There is, however, no great mystery here – consider this chart we aired on last night’s show.

…. Money doesn’t always translate into success, but …. this kind of enormous financial advantage meant the deck was stacked in the governor’s favor. Democrats, unions, and progressive activists gave it their all, but they ran into a juggernaut of conservative cash that proved to be too formidable.

…. the governor, his party, and his very wealthy allies have created a blueprint for other Republicans to follow elsewhere – crushing public-sector unions in order to destroy one of the pillars of the Democratic Party’s electoral foundation. If labor can’t organize, Democrats can’t compete.

Tom Barrett lost last night, but he wasn’t the only one.

Full post here

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Charles Pierce on Wisconsin

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Morning everyone